LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced on Wednesday that DePaul is one of 478 teams to have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2010-2011 season. The total number of teams honored once again breaks the previous years' total of 450 and sets a new all-time high for this award.

The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that display excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.

"A hearty congratulations to all the volleyball coaches whose teams won the 2011 AVCA Team Academic Award," said AVCA Executive Director, Kathy DeBoer. "Teams do not succeed in the classroom by accident any more so than they do on the court. The same coach who taught them volleyball skills cared enough about their academic achievement to gather their grades, calculate their GPA, and submit a nomination on their behalf. In doing so, these coaches sent a clear message that classroom success is just as important as court success. All involved should celebrate this award!"

The Team Academic Award has become one of the AVCA's fastest growing awards programs, seeing an impressive surge in teams honored over the past several years. Since the 2000-2001 season, the number of recipients has increased every single year but one, while amassing an overall 170% increase over the span of the decade.

Just under 20% of Division I women’s volleyball programs were honored by the AVCA while DePaul is one of eight BIG EAST Conference institutions honored by the AVCA for their scholastic achievements. Georgetown, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova also earned the Team Academic Award.

DePaul opens its 2011 season – its second under head coach Nadia Edwards, at the UniWyo Wyoming Invite, Aug. 26-27. The Blue Demons serve up the season against Oregon State and South Dakota on Friday, while they close out the tournament against Gonzaga and Wyoming on Saturday.